Ask HN: IT Security

[SkinFlute]

I recently have been attending and researching anything and everything about IT security, primarily windows.

Are there any books/resources/etc. that you would recommend for an individual who is passionate about learning? I have seen countless books on the subject, but I would rather not waste the limited time I have reading something that isn't helpful.

I have a degree in Management Information Systems, with a minor in Computer Science, so I'm not a fish within IT (if that matters)

[mtmail]

There was a recent discussion about (free) online training courses https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12786545

P.S. Welcome to HN. Prefix your question with 'Ask HN' and it will go into https://news.ycombinator.com/ask which requires less upvotes to get attention

[SkinFlute]

Thank you for the tip!

[zelon88]

There was another good post the other day that highlighted some good security blogs. The best in my opinion were http://www.schneier.com/blog/, https://threatpost.com/, http://krebsonsecurity.com/. In addition to these, joining some hacker forums to see the kind of shenanigans and tools they employ could be helpful.

[SkinFlute]

Thank you! I appreciate the help

[Canada]

Windows Internals: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963901.as...

[SkinFlute]

Have you read this book? I have seen this book being recommended before, and am curious to see what you would rank it

[Canada]

Yeah, it's the text for Windows architecture and internals. Security is ultimately about understanding how things work, so if you're going to delve into that you might as well learn how the system works. The security chapter should be of interest to you at least.

[abrookewood]

If you're after specific advice on how to secure particular resources (e.g. Windows Server 2012), you can have a look at the CIS Security Benchmarks. They are comprehensive resources on the steps you should take to lock down operating systems etc. The windows ones are here: https://benchmarks.cisecurity.org/downloads/browse/index.cfm...

[nick1024]

I was a fan of this one. Lots of expert authors, lots of good information!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I0QTHYK#nav-subnav

[SkinFlute]

Thank you for your response, but I feel like this book wouldn't really be beneficial to me. I have taken courses covering this material in great detail

[inovica]

Can you be a bit more specific about what you are wanting to look at. Is it a broad overview or are you wanting to look into (or become an expert in) a focused area?

[SkinFlute]

For now I think a broad overview would be a better option, then I can narrow in on areas that I feel weak in.